Friday June 23, 2023
Diane Feinstein —
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today introduced the Canal Conveyance Capacity Restoration Act, a bill to authorize more than $653 million to restore the capacity of three San Joaquin Valley canals. Restoring these canals would improve California’s drought resilience and help farmers comply with limits on groundwater pumping under the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
Congressman Jim Costa, with support from Congressmen John Garamendi and Josh Harder (all D-Calif.), previously introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives.
The bill also authorizes an additional $180 million to restore salmon runs on the San Joaquin River. The funding is for fish passage structures, levees and other improvements that will allow the threatened Central Valley Spring-run Chinook salmon to swim freely upstream from the ocean to the Friant Dam.
“Damage to canals in the San Joaquin Valley has significantly reduced their capacity to carry water, increasing the risk of drought and making farmers’ jobs even harder,” Senator Feinstein said. “We can work together at the federal, state and local levels to ensure there will be more water for Californians. In addition to being a win for farmers, our bill would also restore runs vital to the Chinook salmon, helping protect this threatened species.”